AND YET, WHAT YOU SEE IS JUST A TOOTH PICK - of course not a toothpick for me and you, but for kings and aristocrats WHO USED TO MAKE TOOTH PICKS DIFFERENTLY TO STAND OUT FROM OTHERS! In fact, in the 17th century in Europe, humble toothpicks managed to become a luxury item - they were made of expensive metal and had precious stones on them! #FLEX

Generally, the toothpick is one of the oldest inventions in the world (LITERALLY IT EXISTED BEFORE HOMO SAPIENS!!!) and its history is quite interesting!

Research on Neanderthal skulls (a human species that appeared 250,000 years ago!) shows that they used some tool like a toothpick (probably a small branch) to clean their teeth!

The toothpick is the oldest tool for cleaning teeth and a variation of it existed - obviously - in all human cultures!

We may not have always had the need and tools to start a fire and paint in caves BUT WE ALWAYS HAD TEETH THAT DIDN'T CLEAN THEMSELVES!

Thousands of years before the toothbrush was invented, THERE WAS THE TOOTHPICK! And if it didn't exist, we would invent it again, because the Martini - which is the second most important thing after oral hygiene - CANNOT BE CONSUMED without the toothpick inside the olive stuffed with Florina pepper!

Toothpicks started to be produced for widespread consumption in the 16th century, by nuns in Portugal! Of course, they didn't make toothpicks to clean their teeth, but to clean their nails from sweet residues! (NORMALIZE EATING SWEETS WITH YOUR HANDS!)

In the 19th century, American Charles Foster, while on a farm in Brazil, noticed the toothpicks made by local workers and decided to steal their idea! So, he started building machines to mass-produce disposable toothpicks!

Although his machines could produce one million toothpicks per day, people were used to making them themselves, so initially this business didn't go very well!

However, Foster didn't give up and managed to create a market for toothpicks, literally hiring people to go and ask for toothpicks from stores! MARKETING GENIUS!

This is how the demand increased and from being a luxury item, toothpicks gradually became available in every household!

It is said that there were others exactly at the same time who were "the first" to invent machines for mass production of toothpicks.

However, Foster had a somewhat quirky story behind him, so he managed to get into this article!

#SORINOTSORI

WARNING: TOOTHPICKS KILL

There is a rumor that in 189 BC Agathocles, Tyrant of Syracuse, was assassinated after being stabbed with a toothpick poisoned with venom!

COOL FACT 

Because Foster's toothpick factory was established in the State of Maine, USA, until it closed in 2003, 90% of all toothpicks in America came from a small village somewhere there!